What if President Autopen’s Signatures were Written in Disappearing Ink?

An autopen, as described by Wikipedia, is a device designed to automatically reproduce signatures. It is commonly used by celebrities to sign numerous autographs. Presidents have utilized autopens since the era of Harry Truman, with Gerald Ford being the first to openly acknowledge their use.

Since then, U.S. presidents have signed time-sensitive legislation while on vacation because it is impractical to move them or the paperwork to each other. The validity of an autopen signature has not been tested in court, although President George W. Bush sought and received clearance from his Department of Justice that it was constitutional. However, he never used it himself.

Last week, social media buzzed with instances of President Joe Biden using the autopen to sign executive orders and last-minute presidential pardons. The signatures were not created by Biden’s hand, raising concerns about their validity.

President Donald Trump has mentioned the autopen several times, and not without purpose. While aboard Air Force One, he told reporters, “It looks like we had an autopen for a president.”

On Truth Social Monday morning, Trump said: “The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen. In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!”

Trump had previously raised the issue last Thursday in the Oval Office: “Who was signing all this stuff by autopen? Who would think you’d sign important documents by autopen? You know, these are major documents. Nobody’s ever heard of such a thing. So, it should have never happened.”

This is no accident, as Trump consistently voiced his concerns. What did Trump know about President Autopen, and when did he know it?

Do you remember how, on January 20, his inauguration day, Trump signed a stack of executive orders with his Sharpie in the Oval Office, right in front of the media, showcasing his order and signature to the world? He could have done this privately, but the media captured every moment, creating a stark contrast to the autopen, a topic that emerged two months later. Foreshadowing?

I suspect this display was intentional; however, consider going back even further. Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on President Biden was devastating. Here are a few quotes from the report.

“We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

“It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.”

“In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse,”

Then there was the one and only debate between Trump and Biden, during which Biden appeared confused for 14 long seconds. CBC News described this as “a catastrophic moment,” observing “his voice raspy, his gaze distant,” and referring to it as “Biden’s debate disaster.”

This past January, as reported by the New York Post, “President Biden had no clue whether or not he signed a critical executive order during a conversation last year with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson,  who admitted he left the meeting fearing the nation is in serious trouble.”

Some pardons were signed with an autopen on December 22, 2022, while Biden was vacationing in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but all indicated that they were signed in the City of Washington. Was Joe Biden even aware?

Drip … drip … drip.

The case was built slowly and meticulously for Biden’s cognitive impairment, raising the question of who was truly in charge of the executive branch over the past four years.

The conclusion, expressed by President Trump this week, is that all Biden pardons, including those for the January 6 prosecutors, various criminals, COVID tyrants, and Biden family members, are “void” after Biden allegedly used an autopen to sign these pardons while in office.

What now? What if Trump directs his FBI and DOJ to investigate, arrest, or prosecute individuals who have committed crimes, including anyone with a potentially questionable presidential pardon? Criminal defense attorneys can be costly, and legal representation may run into millions of dollars, leading to sleepless nights as the US Supreme Court decides whether the autopen-signed documents hold legal validity.

Is accepting a presidential pardon an admission of guilt? According to the White House Historical Association, “The Burdick v. United States (1915) decision concluded that a pardon ‘carries an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it. '”

This means that those already pardoned have confessed to their crimes. Next comes sentencing.

It's likely that FBI Director Kash Patel and his new deputy, Dan Bongino, both remember how the Biden FBI and DOJ operated. I’m confident that the current agencies will uphold the rule of law and the Constitution while investigating and prosecuting criminal activity, as the courts review President Autopen’s orders.

What a legacy for Joe Biden: his entire presidency is a sham. Americans agree. In a January Rasmussen Reports survey, “48% of likely U.S. Voters think Biden will be remembered as one of the worst presidents in American history.”

Who used his autopen, and under what direction? AG Pam Bondi needs to investigate this insurrection.

In the meantime, observe how the corporate media is melting down over President Autopen and how, coincidentally (or not), pardoned Hunter Biden is currently living large in South Africa with round-the-clock Secret Service protection.

We have an extradition treaty with South Africa, but we lack similar agreements with several neighboring African countries.

Could Hunter Biden have signed his own pardon, as suggested by Attorney Mike Davis?

The upcoming weeks promise to be intriguing as this saga unfolds. If Trump continues to pursue the issue, it’s not by chance. This thread could unravel the entire Biden presidency.

Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a physician and writer.

Follow me on Twitter @retinaldoctor

Substack Dr. Brian’s Substack

Truth Social @BrianJoondeph

See Other Commentaries by Brian C. Joondeph.

See Other Political Commentaries.

LinkedIn @Brian Joondeph

Email brianjoondeph@gmail.com